The Only Loyalty Program You May Ever Need

That's right: you could soon say sayonara to carrying around those dozen individual loyalty program cards for everything from the local drugstore to your favorite retailer.

That's because American Express just announced it will launch a first-of-its-kind cross-brand loyalty program in the U.S., in which shoppers will be able to rack up and redeem rewards across major companies.

The Plenti program, as it's called, already counts big brands like Macy's, Rite Aid, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, Hulu and Direct Energy among its participants. In other words: the points you earn for, say, paying your monthly Hulu bill could later be cashed in to cover a new pair of jeans at Macy's.

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American Express also hopes to continue to add more companies to the fold, especially in as-yet unrepresented industries like travel and food.

Best of all, the program, which is set to launch in May, won't carry any fees and isn't connected to a credit card. So you can pay with any method you'd like—giving you even more opportunities to rack up points.

"The challenge with loyalty programs is that it takes you a very long time in one brand to actually earn some rewards," Martine Reardon, chief marketing officer at Macy's told USA Today. With the new program, "customers [can] earn rewards quickly and use them right away. It's immediate gratification."

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LearnVest Planning Services is a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of LearnVest, Inc. that provides financial plans for its clients. Information shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Please consult a financial adviser for advice specific to your financial situation. LearnVest Planning Services and any third-parties listed, discussed, identified or otherwise appearing herein are separate and unaffiliated and are not responsible for each other’s products, services or policies. LearnVest, Inc. is wholly owned by NM Planning, LLC, a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.